PEORIA — Peter Barclay kept his eye on Common Place as somewhere he wanted to volunteer once he retired as a department head at Caterpillar, Inc. five years ago. He enrolled in a tutor orientation class and wasn't choosy about what kind of work he would do as long as it fit in his time slots of 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A week later, Common Place, 514 S. Shelley St. in South Peoria, asked him to tutor a math class, a class he still has today.

Common Place offers new tutor orientation at least once a month and about 20 in a given year, said Carol Turbett, the not-for-profit's academic advisor. She added that 52 residents have signed up for the three-day tutor workshop that began yesterday and continues on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.

Turbett said not everyone that registers shows up though. "The last time we had 47 signed up. We got 23...I have no idea how many will come," She said anyone that misses can always sign up for the next orientation.

During Barclay's first two years the client base was older, mostly adults wanting to learn basic math to help their grandchildren with their homework. "We could have fun doing a sudoku puzzle, balancing a check book, [and] figuring out how we were going to eat 2,000 calories a day."

But since Peoria School District 150 closed its Adult Education Center, 839 W. Moss Ave., in the summer of 2011, Barclay and Turbett said their client base has become younger. He said he has shifted toward an approach that will help the younger client base with testing to earn their GED.

While Common Place's focus is on one-on-one tutoring, it has had to offer more classes for the influx of students from Adult Education. Turbett said they went from 150 to 250 students a year for registration. She also said the maximum class size is 15 and tutors work with their students on one-on-one sessions outside of class, either at Common Place or local libraries.

Turbett, Barclay, and Common Place's Director, Catherine Agallo, all cite the year-round need for more tutors. Turbett added that tutors expect a bond to form between themselves and their students, but not as deep as it can end up being.

"They worry about the students like they were their own children," Turbett said. She added that some tutors are surprised by "how quickly some students give up. They may not have enough support at home so they drop out and don't necessarily seek other social agencies to help them like Crittenton Centers."

Agallo said from July to December, they had 166 students enroll in class and 50 dropped out in that time frame for a variety of reasons. She added that if a student missed five consecutive classes, that person can't enroll again for six months.

Page 2 of 2 - Barclay shared a story of encouraging a friend to tutor at Common Place. He told his friend, "you've got two ears and you got a big heart. That's all you need. You don't have to be a Bradley professor to teach basic math...What you need is a heart and a willingness to help."

Robert Connelly can be reached at rconnelly@pjstar.com or 686-3251. Follow him on Twitter @RConnelly_PJS.